AMONG. THE CARIBS. 89 
tion throughout all the islands that they command 
large prices, and were it not for their innate laziness, 
and the scarcity of the peculiar shrub of which the 
baskets are composed, these people might attain to a 
degree of affluence. These “panniers,” or baskets, 
are made of all sizes, some large as a common trunk. 
They are made, sometimes, of a reed called roseau, 
but the best are made from a plant called the mahoe, 
which is now so scarce that the basket-makers have 
to take long journeys into the forests to obtain it. 
By burying it in the ground, and using for some the 
juices of certain plants, they give to the plaits a variety 
of colors. There are two thicknesses, and between 
them layers of the wild plantain, which make them per- 
fectly water-tight. I have one which was in use nearly 
a year, being constantly carried on the heads of my 
attendants; and even yet it will, I think, hold water. 
All the country people desire to possess a pannier, or 
Carib basket, which serves them as a light and port- 
able trunk. 
